Imagine Boleyn

The brief

As West Ham FC made preparations to close their historic Boleyn ground and move to Olympic Stadium, we were commissioned to create a fitting tribute to the ground, its history and the fans.

The challenge

For over 100 years the Boleyn Ground had been the home of West Ham United. It was important to give the fans a sense of nostalgia while also building excitement about the club’s new home at Olympic Stadium. The finished video would be distributed through West Ham’s Facebook and YouTube channels.

The solution

What could be a better gift to West Ham United fans than behind the scenes access to the stadium they love? We used a 360° camera rig during a highly-charged match between West Ham and Man U. As one of the last games at the ground, we filmed the electric atmosphere at key moments, such as the players walking onto the pitch, and from different areas around the ground. Afterwards we added CGI elements, such as shirts hanging in the changing room, to bring the experience to life even more, and a rousing ‘call to arms’ voiceover by Ray Winstone.

The experience

The finished video was launched shortly after the final game at Boleyn on West Ham United’s Facebook and YouTube accounts, becoming an instant hit with fans of the club, and football fans in general. Within two weeks the YouTube video alone had been watched over 85,000 times and more than 350,000 on Facebook. It was nominated for ‘Most Innovative Use of Technology’ at the Football Business Awards 2016 and, most recently, nominated for Most Innovative Fan Engagement Campaign at the Sport Technology Awards 2017.